The unbeaten Lakes Entrance under 17s were the shining light in round five of East Gippsland netball from a Seagulls
perspective at the Lakeside Oval last Saturday.
The ladder leader went goal-for-goal with Stratford in a low-scoring affair, the scores level at the first three changes.
With the game on the line, it was the Seagulls who held their nerve, holding on to win by three goals, with Tilly Richardson, Bonnie Rotheram and Lucy Carroll the better players.
The Swans were a tough cookie for the Seagulls to crack in “A” grade, challenging every pass with intent.
Lakes had some good movement through the court in the second half but were no match for the slick Swans who won by 35 goals.
Abbey Yates was a standout for Lakes Entrance.
The Seagulls got off to a good start in “B” grade in a hotly-contested first term, but eventually the Swans found their mojo, establishing a break in the second quarter.
Lakes Entrance lifted in the third term, stemming the tide but just when it looked likely to manage a challenge, Stratford upped the tempo to win by 14 goals.
Bec Rotheram, Pohiri Ryder-Gemmell and Makayla Grabham were valuable contributors for the the Seagulls.
In “C” grade Lakes started off slow and steady in the rain, working into the match in the second quarter with Verity Jakins and Alicia Friend prominent.
Stratford’s class started to come through in the third quarter, handling the wet conditions superbly, winning by 14 goals.
Jakins and Friend were award winners for the Seagulls.
The Swans came to play in “D” grade, winning by 39 goals in wet conditions.
Lakes Entrance tried hard but struggled to match the skill of the Swans with their shooters impressive in the difficult conditions.
Harriet Copeland and Haylee McKinnon both tried hard for the Seagulls against a
quality side.
Stratford got off to a flying start in the under 15 match, the Seagulls on the back foot right from the start. To their credit the defence led by Sadie Stevens worked hard, creating plenty of scoring opportunities, but Lakes struggled to score, the Swans leading by 16 at half time.
The Seagulls got better as the match wore on, scoring more goals in the final term than they did for the first three off the back of some great defence and creditable ball movement.
The Swans were impressive winners by 31 goals, with Lilly Eiseman and Lily Jakins award winners for the Seagulls.
In a competitive under 13 match, Stratford prevailed by nine goals, with Keelie Silver and Georgi Witham named best for the Seagulls.
Lakes Entrance will host Wy Yung this Saturday.
